Combined board and cutter.



G. M. GROGKER. COMBINED BOARD Am) CUTTER. l

UNITED STATES. PATENT GEORGE M. CROCKER, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED BOARD AND CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911.

Application filed November 29, 1909. Serial No. 530,349.

To altwhom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, GEORGE M. CRooKER, a cltlzen of the United States, and resident of Brockton, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement 1n Combined Boards and Cutters, of whlch the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to apparatus particularly adapted for use by paper hangers in pasting and trimming or cutting wall paper prior to its application to the wall. I

My invention has *forits object the production of simple and improved apparatus of the class described, of such construction and arrangement that it can be readily transported from place to place and set up for use, and by means of which the paper can be very quickly and accurately trimmed or cut, the board which forms a part of the apparatus being utilized as a table for pasting the paper as well as for the trimming thereof.

In accordance with my invention the board is provided with a metal straight edge for cotiperation with the movable cutting member, and I have provided a swinging presser adapted to be moved into position upon the paper to hold it in position to be trimmed, said presser also serving as a support for the actuating member of the movable, rotary cutter. tatably mounted in a suitable carrier adapted to be held in the hand of the operator,

. and I mount said cutter in such a manner that it can be easily removed from the carrier.

- The rotary cutter is made as a relatively thin circular blade, and as such cutters are apt to be nicked or broken it is very desirable that the removal of a damaged cutter and the insertion of a new one in the carrier can be effected with ease and rapidity. This I have provided in my present invention,

' and I have also provided anti-friction bearings for the cutter and its connected actuating member, the latter being made as a roll of less diameter than the cutter and ar- The cutter is roon the line 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional detail on the line 44, Fig. 5, of one end of the presser and a portion of its connecting hinge; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one end of the board and presser and the adjustable connection between the presser and the hinge.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5 the board or table 1 is substantially of the kind used by paper hangers, except that its forward edge is downwardly and rearwardly beveled, as

at .2, Fig. 1, for the greater part of its length, and above such beveled edge the top of the board is recessed to receive a long flat metal blade 3 which constitutes a straight edge, the cutting or forward edge 4: thereof being beveled in the plane of the bevel 2,

the upper face of the straight edge lying flush with the surface of the board 1. At each end of the board a hinge leaf 5 is attached, depending from the front of said board, to which leaf is pivotally connected at 6 a second leaf 7, which is bent at right angles to form an arm 8, the two arms resting upon the top of the board when the presser is in use, as shown in Figs. 4:, 5, and

in full lines Fig. 1.

The presser is preferably made of wood, and is a long, narrow strip 9 reduced in thickness between its ends at 10 for the greater part of its length, the under face of the presser resting upon the paper P, Fig. 1, when the apparatus is ready for trimming or cutting. e

As shown in Figs. 1, Land 5 the front edge of the presser is set back from the cutting edge 4 of the blade 3, exposing the latter so that the operator can see it and adjust the paper thereon in proper position for trimming. The presser is recessed at its ends to receive the ends of the swinging arms 8, each arm having fixedly secured to it an upright, threaded stud 11, Fig. 4, which passes loosely through a transverse slot 12 in the presser, and a clamp screw 13 is screwed down onto the stud to clamp the presser tightly upon the arm 8, a washer 14 being interposed between the head of the clamp screw and the top of the presser. By means of the adjustable connections described between the presser and the swinging arms 8 the presser can be adjusted toward or from the front edge of the board, to expose less or more of the straight edge 3 according to the wishes of the operator. hen the presser is not in use it is swung forward and down into dotted line position, Fig. 1, entirely out of the way, so that the board can be used for pasting and folding the paper. As the presser is light and relatively thin it is easily handled, and when applied to the paper on the board it has suflicient flexibility to press firmly upon and hold the paper in position for trimming. The straight edge 3 constitutes the fixed blade or cutter, and the movable cutter is shown herein as a circular blade or disk 15 having a sharpened edge or periphery, the face of the cutter which travels adjacent the edge 4 of the blade 3 being fiat. Said cutter 15 is mounted in a bifurcated or branched carrier shown herein as comprising connected sides 16, 17, the upper part thereof forming a handle, the side 16 having a laterally offset and depending extension 18 rovided with an open seat 19. The side 1 is bent outwardly at 20 and then down to form a depending extension 21 opposite and parallel to the extension 18, an open seat 22 being provided at the end of the extension 21. Said seats 19 and 22 are practically open-ended, rectangular slots, and they are arranged to receive easily the oppositely threaded portions 23 of a shaft 24, retaining nuts 25 screwed onto the shaft outside the seats holding said shaft firmly in place in the carrier, as will appear more clearly hereinafter. Upon one end of the shaft is screwed a nut 26, Fig. 3, having an annular raceway 27 for a series of balls 28, said nut constituting one member of a ball-bearing, the other member being formed by the cylindrical, tubular head 29 of a sleeve 30 loosely surrounding the shaft 24 and threaded at 31, the interior of the head 29 completing the ball-raceway. The sleeve 30 passes through a central hole in the cutter 15, one face of the latter resting against the head 29 and being held against it by the flange 32 of a collar 33 which fits snugly over the sleeve. Said collar is forced tightly against the fiat face of the cutter, to clamp the latter against the head 29, by the hub 34 of an annularly grooved roll 35, screwed tightly onto the threaded end 31 of the sleeve, so that the cutter 15, sleeve 30, collar 33 and roll 35 are all firmly connected and will rotate as a unit about the shaft 24. The roll 35 has a rubber tire 36 tightly secured in its peripheral groove, the diameter of the tire being considerably less than the diameter of the cutter 15, as will be manifest from Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and in operation the tire travels upon the part 10 of the presser, to rotate the cutter 15 when the carrier is moved longitudinally of the board 1.

As shown in Fig. 3 the outer face of the roll 35 is recessed to form a raceway 37 for a'series of balls 38, and the complemental member of the bearing is a nut 39 screwed onto the threaded part 23 of the shaft 24, said nut having on its inner face an annular raceway 40. The extension 18 of the cutter carrier is clamped between the bearing member 26 and the adjacent nut 25, and the extension 21 is similarly clamped between the other nut 25 and the bearing member 39, so that the shaft 24 will be securely held in its seats 19, 22, but it can be instantly removed therefrom by slackening off the nuts 25. hen the shaft is thus removed or detached from the carrier both ball-bearings and the cutter 15 are removed with it, and if a new cutter is to be substituted the left hand nut 25, Fig. 3, and bearing member 39 are removed from the shaft, then the roll 35 is unscrewed from the sleeve 30 and the collar 32 is slipped off, permitting the removal of the cutter 15 and the substitution of a new one. Then the parts above referred to are replaced in reverse order, and the shaft 24 is seated and clamped in place on the carrier. As the head 29 forms a member of one ball-bearing rotatable with the cutter 15, and the roll 35 forms the corresponding member of the other ball-bearing, it will be apparent that the cutter and its connected actuating roll 35 are provided with two sets of bearing balls 28, 38, so that the frictional resistance to rotation is very slight. The bearings can be set up properly or adjusted for wear by moving the stationary bearing members or nuts 26, 39 inward on the shaft 24.

The construction described not only permits ready and rapid substitution of one cutter for another when necessary but it also provides a secure and rigid holding means for retaining the disk-like cutter in operative position in the carrier. In practice the bifurcated or branched carrier is made of metal and is light in Weight but strong and durable.

When the apparatus is to be used for per P upon the board 1 with the edge P to be trimmed or cut projecting beyond the straight edge 3, see dotted lines, Fig. 1, the

trimming marks on the paper being set by 36 resting upon the part 10of the presser,"

and the flat face of the cutter 15 adjacent the edge 4: of the blade or straight edge 3. The carrier is now moved longitudinally of the board 1, the roll 35 being rotated rapidly as it travels along upon the presser, and the cutter 15 is rotated as it is moved bodily along the board, the paper being cut by the shearing cooperation of the beveled edge 4 of the blade 3 and the circular edge of the blade or cutter 15. A straight, clean cut is thereby made, the line of the out being at all times visible to the operator, and as the cutter-carrier is freely held in the hand the plane of the cutter 15 can be turned slightly with relation to the edge a to get the most satisfactory results.

In traveling from place to place the apparatus can be easily handled, for the board and connected presser are transported as easily as the ordinary board now used, while the cutter and its carrier can be placed in the coat pocket or .in any other suitable and convenient receptacle.

As will be apparent from Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the cutter-carrier not only provides a convenient support for the rotary cutter and a handle which the operators hand can readily grasp and firmly hold, but it also serves to effectually guard or protect the hand from the edge of the cutter and from contact with the actuating roll 35. The upper are of the cutter, of about 135, passes between the separated portions of the carrier members 16, 17, and such members are grasped between the thumb and fingers of the hand, while the lateral bend 20 serves as a rest for the thumb and also, with the extension 21, as a guard to shield or hood the upper part of the actuating roll and prevent contact of the thumb therewith. The rotation of the cutter 15 at a proper speed when in operation is effected in a very efiicient manner by the roll 35 as it is caused to travel along the presser, the rubber tire-36 of said roll getting a firm hold *upon the presser and preventing slip or lost motion, while the downward pressure of the operators hand is transmitted through the roll to the presser, to hold the paper from slipping during the trimming operation. The bevel of the front edge of the board affords the proper clearance below the fixed blade as the rotary blade or cutter travels along the beveled edge of the blade during the trimming operation.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus of the class described, a board having a beveled front edge, a metal blade flush with the surface of the board and having a beveled cutting edge in the plane of the bevel of the board, a swinging presser connected with the board and exposing the beveled edge of said blade when in operative position upon the paper to be trimmed, a carrier adapted to be grasped and held in upright position and guided by the operator, and a rotary cutter and an attached actuating roll having a transversely-convexed periphery, rotatably mounted in the carrier, the cutter cooperating with the beveled edge of the blade and the roll engaging and traveling freely upon the presser, to rotate the cutter when the carrier is moved longitudinally of the board, said roll constituting the sole support for the cutter-carrier during such movement.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a

cutter-carrier having opposite, depending,

and laterally separated side-extensions connected at their upper portions to form a handle and at their lower ends provided with slot-like open seats, a shaft non-rotatably mounted in and readily removable from the open ends of said seats, a cutting blade and a fixedly attached actuating roll rotatably mounted on said shaft between the depending side extensions and projecting below the latter, and ball bearings interposed between said cutting blade and the shaft. I

3. In apparatus of the class described, a cutter-carrier having opposite, depending and laterally separated side-extensions connected at their upper ends to form a handle and provided with slot-like seats open at their lower ends, a shaft non-rotatably mounted in and readily removed from said seats, means to clamp and hold the shaft in the seats, "a sleeve loose on the shaft between the side extensions, a cuttin disk on the sleeve and projecting below t e extensions, means, including an actuating roll, for the disk to clamp the disk upon the sleeve, and ball-bearings interposed between the said cutting blades and the shaft, the said actuating roll being located between the side extensions.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a rotary cutter and a fixedly connected actuating roll laterally separated therefrom, a cutter-carrier having connected sides spaced apart to receive between them the cutter above its center and to protect the hand of the operator from the cutter, said sides having opposite and laterally separated depending extensions, means to detachably connect the cutter and roll with and between the depending extensions of name to this specification, in the presence the carrier, and a laterally extended, cirved of tWo subscribing Witnesses. guard on the carrier overhanging saii r01 and serving as a thumb-rest While at the CROCKER' 5 same time preventing contact of the thumb of the hand with said roll. V

In testimony whereof, I have signed my Witnesses:

JOHN C. EDWARDS, FREDERICK S. GREENLEAF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

